Minnesota Dust Storm

The following is an excerpt taken from a Jameson, Missouri paper which tells about a dust storm in Minnesota. The writer was a native of Daviess County who was writing to friends in our locality. The letter, written in June, 1934, has many similar accounts as other people I’ve talked to. Also, a portion of it almost parallels a few conditions of the Great Depression.

The following is an excerpt taken from a Jameson, Missouri paper which tells about a dust storm in Minnesota. The writer was a native of Daviess County who was writing to friends in our locality. The letter, written in June, 1934, has many similar accounts as other people I’ve talked to. Also, a portion of it almost parallels a few conditions of the Great Depression.

"We had a dry year last year and no snow to amount to anything all winter, no rain this spring, so whenever the wind would blow hard we got a dust storm from any and every direction. It was awful putting the crops in. Sometimes we couldn’t see town and we are only one-half mile out. One afternoon about four o’clock it got so dark the lights had to be turned on and even the chickens went to roost. The road ditches were filled with dirt just like snow banks. Some places the grain was all blown out and some dried out.

The government started buying cattle and lots are selling as they have no feed for them. Our son, Frank, was one of the buyers for our township. Some of the cattle are quite good and some are worthless. The government has given the farmers corn, hay, oats and wheat for feed and when the stock ate the grass in the pastures no more grew. The only way to do was to herd them on the roadside. We were fortunate in having plenty of silage, fodder, hay, straw, so our cattle were in good shape and have only been on pasture a few weeks."